Frederick Buechner once wrote: “One life on this earth is all that we get, whether it is enough or not enough, and the obvious conclusion would seem to be that at the very least we are fools if we do not live it as fully and bravely and beautifully as we can.”
I keep coming back to the phrase “whether it is enough or not enough.” Most of us argue with that question constantly. Was this enough life? Did I do enough with it? Is there still enough time left? Buechner skips the argument entirely. It doesn’t matter whether it’s enough. It’s what we get. The only question left is what we do with it.
Later in life, we tend to take inventory, and we wonder if we chose correctly. That process is real, and it’s a necessary part of accepting life as it has been as we consider what is left ahead for us. I believe it’s worth being honest about. I also believe there’s still time to take what’s in front of us right now and make it beautiful and meaningful.
I think that matters more as we age. There’s a story we tell ourselves that bravery belongs to the young, that by a certain age we’ve already taken our swings and the rest is maintenance. I’m not buying it. People who keep taking on new challenges later in life report higher life satisfaction than people who stop. Boldness isn’t a trait you either have or don’t. It’s a habit and thankfully, habits can be established at any age.
“Fully” means presence. Are you in your life, or watching it from a few feet away? “Bravely” means facing what scares you instead of avoiding it. A hard conversation. A new pursuit. A risk that might not pay off. “Beautifully” is the one we forget. I think “beauty” is not about simply decorating what already is. I think it means doing things with care and intention instead of just getting them done. It’s the difference between making dinner and cooking a meal you enjoy tasting. Between sending a text and writing a letter someone will keep. Beauty is always slower than efficiency and it asks us to notice what we’re doing while we’re doing it.
To really address this, you won’t need a dramatic overhaul. It might mean finally having the conversation you’ve been avoiding. Booking the vacation you talked yourself out of but haven’t stopped thinking about. Spending an afternoon on something simply because it’s beautiful to you, with no one keeping score
Where in your life are you settling for “enough” when you could choose “fully, bravely, beautifully”? Pick one place. Change it this week.
Hit reply and tell me what you picked. And to the people who always write back: Thank you. It means a lot.